Man charged with murder after woman, 75, stabbed in Peckham

A man has been charged with murder after an elderly woman was stabbed to death in south London.The victim named by locals as 75-year-old Maureen Watkins was found injured at her home in Ethnard Road, Peckham, on Friday afternoon.Medics said she had suffered multiple stab wounds and was confirmed dead a short time after ambulance crews arrived.Scotland Yard said Edward Watkins, of Ethnard Road, was charged in connection with the death on Sunday.The 55-year-old is due to appear in custody at Camberwell Magistrates Court on Monday.Floral tributes were left at the scene (Ryan Hooper/PA)Friends of the victim, a retired accountant, described her as a lovely lady as floral tributes were left at the scene on Saturday.One friend, who asked not to be named, said: I have lived here since 1971 so I knew Maureen. She was a lovely lady, a very nice lady indeed. The violent death toll in London has continued to rise with more homicides so far this year than in the whole of 2017.A grim spate of bloodshed in the capital, including the week from October 31 when there were five stab deaths, has brought the total to 120.According to Home Office figures, there were 118 in London in 2017, excluding the 13 victims of the terrorist attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Finsbury Park.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[ GoogleAnalyticsObject ]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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